Toddler's death linked to World Cup crying

MCALLEN, Texas, June 29 (UPI) -- A Texas man has admitted striking and killing his toddler stepdaughter because she kept crying while he was watching the World Cup, police say.

Hector Castro, 27, of McAllen is being held on $1 million bail, The Monitor of McAllen reported. He was formally charged late Monday with capital murder.

Castro allegedly told investigators he hit the girl twice with his fist in the ribs Saturday afternoon. When her mother came home, he told her the girl was sleeping.

The mother found her daughter cold, with a screw in her mouth. Castro said he put the screw there in an effort to make it look as if the child had choked on it.

An autopsy carried out Sunday suggested the child had been physically abused on other occasions in the final weeks of her life, police said. In their complaint against Castro, they said the medical examiner found three broken ribs, with two of the breaks looking like they were several weeks old.